


The Blind Dates

by everystareverywhere



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:20:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25122310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everystareverywhere/pseuds/everystareverywhere
Summary: Killian is subjected to many blind dates.
Relationships: Captain Hook | Killian Jones/Emma Swan
Comments: 5
Kudos: 85





	The Blind Dates

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired to write this based off of this prompt:   
> https://shireness-says.tumblr.com/post/614592715276025856/ok-but-consider-this
> 
> I hope you enjoy it and it's what you were thinking about.

“Killian, I think you need to try dating again.”

The man in question raised his eyebrow to his sister-in-law and simply shook his head. “Nope. Thanks, love, but I’m good.”

Elsa pouted. It didn’t have the same effect on him as it did on his older brother. “But Killian—”

“No ‘buts,’” he quickly interrupts, holding up a finger. He puts it down after she glares at it before glaring at him. “Elsa, love, I’m fine. Really.”

“One date,” she insists holding up one finger. And again with the pout. She must think that all Jones men have a weakness against her pout when really, it’s just her husband. He can understand why his brother fell for her almost instantly – Elsa truly is a beauty. With long pale blonde hair, that’s almost always in a braid of some kind, and light blue eyes, she looks almost like a icy queen until you realize that she is just a loving, caring person.

A loving, caring person who can’t stop putting her nose into her brother-in-law’s love life. Why couldn’t he get a sister-in-law who could care less about him, or could care less if he dates? Honestly, Liam had to marry the one woman in the world who cares whether or not Killian Jones has a date on Friday night.

“Killian, please?” she begs. “Belle is a wonderful person, I’m sure—”

“Elsa, I said no.”

She keeps this up for a week.

She pouts.

He finally says yes.

(He might see why his brother is powerless to the pout. But honestly it wasn’t the pout that got him. He just wanted her to stop).

~*~*~*~

Belle is lovely, and charming, and beautiful. She has hazel green eyes, and long brown hair. Her smile is nice, and though he can’t quite place her accent (he’s going to go with Australia, but he could be wrong), he enjoys spending time with her.

“You ever been sailing, love?” he asks as their entrees arrive. He picked out a place not too far from where she works (she’s a librarian), but also close to where his brother works in case he needs to make a quick get-away. He doesn’t.

“No, but I would love to,” she sighs dreamily. “I just…I want adventures, you know?”

He does. He smiles and nods. And okay, she’s not the worst person in the world, and he can already see Elsa doing a fist pump in the air, but he’ll let her have this one. Because Belle is…well, she’s something.

And as charmed as he is by her, there’s just something…not there. He would hate to think that it’s a lack of _spark_ , because he doesn’t believe in that kind of thing. He doesn’t. _Sparks_ in a relationship are for people who read too much Nicholas Sparks or think that _10 Things I Hate About You_ is the best romantic comedy ever created.

(It wasn’t. _You’ve Got Mail_ is the best one he’s seen, and yes, he will fight you on that.)

As they eat dessert (yes, this is going better than he planned), she starts asking him, “Have you read _Pride and Prejudice_?”

“I think it’s a bit underwhelming, to be honest,” he says as he using his fork to cut the piece of cheesecake. So he doesn’t see her shoulder drop, but he does hear her small, “Oh.”

He shrugs as he says, “I’m just not a fan of Austen. She’s a bit of a bore for me.”

Belle remains friendly enough, but that _spark_ is definitely missing now, and Killian can’t help but wonder if perhaps they weren’t getting along as well as he thought.

But when he drops her off at her apartment building, she lets him walk her to the door and they give a small kiss.

Yeah. No _spark_.

He’s about to write this one off, when he sees an advertisement for the new _Emma_ movie and asks if she would like to accompany him. “Try to make me an Austen fan, love.”

They go. It’s alright.

Even Belle wasn’t too impressed with it.

“I’ve seen better,” she said as they walk out of the theatre. “There’s a mini series that’s just _gorgeous_ , with Johnny Lee Miller and Romola Garai. _That_ one is good.”

“I’ll take your word for it, love.”

He gives her more of a peck than a kiss. She doesn’t argue.

There’s a book reading at her library and she asks if he wants to go. He kind of does, so he goes. Belle sits next to him as the author is reading their book, and she leans over to whisper something in his ear and his heart doesn’t pound, his blood is not racing, and he has no urge to grab her hand. He smiles and chuckles at her observation and comes to a realization. One that he brings to her attention later that evening.

“Belle, love, I think we need to talk.”

She sighs, like she knew this was coming. “You don’t feel it either, do you?”

Now he sighs. “I’m sorry, love.”

She waves him off. “No, please, don’t beat yourself over it.” She’s quite for a moment before she says, “But I do like you, Killian. Just _not like that_.”

He chuckles. “I feel the same way.”

She shakes her head slightly before saying, “Can we be friends instead?”

“Besides Elsa, I don’t I’ve ever had a friend that was a girl.”

She gives a playful shrug as she responds, “True something new.”

He laughs. “Okay. Friends.” He holds out his hand, which she takes and they give one big shake.

“Friends.” She turns to put her key in the door before asking, “We should get coffee sometime. You know. As friends.”

Coffee with Belle sounds wonderful, actually. “I’d love that.”

So that’s what they do. Every few weeks, they get a coffee and catch up on their lives.

Elsa, however, is less than thrilled.

“Seriously? It didn’t work out? I could have sworn that you two would have been perfect for each other!” she insists.

“Leave the poor boy alone,” Liam says from the couch, looking over his phone. “Sweetheart, when he’s ready, he’ll date.”

Yeah. That didn’t stop her. Nor does it stop Belle, apparently.

“I agree with Elsa,” she tells him one day after he’s complained that Elsa wants to set him up on another blind date. “I think you do need someone.”

“I don’t need anyone.”

Belle gave a small, sad smile. “I think you do.”

Which is how he ended up on a blind date with a woman named Ariel. She’s friendly, a little too friendly for him, but she also seems a bit…well….

She gets distracted easily. Everything seems to fascinate her, except him, apparently.

Their waiter, Eric, well _he_ certainly has her attention. She checks him out more than she looks Killian in the eye.

He walks her to her car, and doesn’t hear from her again.

“She’s dating Eric,” Belle tells him two weeks later when they both have a chance to rehash that disastrous date.

“Doesn’t surprise me,” he says with no trace of anger or disappointment in his voice. “She really did seem quite taken by him.”

Elsa announces later that week that she knows someone else that Killian will like.

“Please, God no.”

He goes.

Tink is bubbly and funny and sarcastic and he kind of likes her. She’s blonde, tiny, almost like a pixie, and isn’t afraid to show her emotions. They talk throughout their entire meal, and Killian actually wants to take her out again.

But he must have missed a sign or signal or something because he calls and she doesn’t pick up. He asks Elsa if something happened, and she says she that she doesn’t think so.

Oh.

He’s a tad disappointed, but 24 hours later he’s completely over it and ready to move on.

And so is Elsa and Belle, apparently.

“No, I’m determined to get you a girlfriend,” Belle says going through her contacts.

“Belle, please, if you loved me, you would stop this and stop encouraging my sister-in-law.”

“Oh!” she says, looking up from her contact list with her eyes wide. “Of course. Anna!”

Anna. As in Elsa’s younger sister. As in his sister-in-law. As in the girl who literally gave a 15 minutes Maid of Honor’s toast (yes, he timed it.). Anna, who’s sweet, but talks too bloody much for his liking.

“No. Absolutely not. I’m putting my foot down on this one.”

“But Killian—”

“Belle. No.”

She doesn’t suggest it again.

(Except as a joke.)

But when she mentions Mulan, a woman she knows from her gym, she insists. “She’s tough, Killian,” Belle informs him. “She’s not a talker and she doesn’t beat about the bush. You’ll like her.”

As soon as Mulan arrives at the bar (she insisted; he didn’t argue), she informs him, “Look, I’m here because Belle is my friend. But I’m going to be honest. I like her. But in a different way than you do.”

Killian is a little surprised by that announcement, but shrugs before saying, “Fair enough. But listen, I’m hungry and those potato skins look really good. Want to split some appetizers and I’ll tell you how you can get Belle’s attention?”

Honestly, it was the best date that he’s had in a while.

But then, then, he sees her.

It’s about three weeks after his date with Mulan (he didn’t tell Belle why it didn’t work out. He figured that she would realize soon enough) and he’s working at his bar when _she_ walks in.

And as much as he hates romantic comedies (okay, he doesn’t _hate_ them, but he’s trying to make a point) and he thinks they’re cliché, time really does seem to slow down when he notices her across the bar.

With her long blonde hair that grazing the middle of her back, a tight red leather jacket over a dark gray shirt, with even tighter jeans and black boots, Killian thinks his tongue might be on the floor.

She’s meeting a group of friends (and he hates that he likes that it’s all women) before she walks over to the bar. He almost trips over himself to make sure she’s not waiting too long.

“Rum and coke,” she says, “Apple martini, and…” she pauses, looks down, “God, what in hell did Ruby want?” she thinks as she taps her fingers on the bar.

He should be upset that she’s taking up his time, but honestly he just wants to put his chin in his hand and look at her some more, because her eyes are the most beautiful shade of green he has ever seen, and he thinks he suddenly knows why Tom Hanks keep tripping up every time he gets near Meg Ryan.

She looks up at him when she finally remembers, “Oh, right! And a bees knees.” She raises an eyebrow. “Is that a real drink?”

He smirks. “Aye, actually. Made with lemon, honey, and gin. I believe that it was created in the prohibition era, to cover up the fact that people were making illegal drinks at home.”

She shakes her head, but gives a small smile. “Come to a bar, and get a history lesson. Didn’t expect that.”

“Always expect the unexpected,” he grins before getting work on her drinks.

He places them on the bar and she hands over her credit card. He can’t help but take a look at her name.

“We’ll have a tab going all night,” she informed him as she sets the drinks up so she’ll be able to carry them.

“Got it. Swan.”

She rolls her eyes, but otherwise says nothing as she leaves.

If he keeps an eye on her all night, that’s something between him and God.

They don’t order to many more drinks and when she comes to get her card and sigh the receipt, he makes sure that she has a ride home.

She smiles before telling him that the husband of one of her friends is on his way.

He takes a sigh of relief and wonders if he’ll ever see her again as she steps out of the bar.

He doesn’t need to wonder that too long. The next day (Sunday), he walks into the café that he and Belle have come to over the course of the last year and turns bright red when he sees her in the corner reading a book.

He sits facing her (Belle was sitting in the opposite chair when he arrived, he swears he didn’t plan it). His eyes keep looking over at her as she sips her drink and turns the pages of the book so carefully, almost like she caressing the pages.

Okay, so he might be romanticizing her, but he can’t seem to help it. He barely knows her and he’s captivate by her.

(Belle would say “smitten” if she knew. She doesn’t.

Yet.)

He barely hears Belle, his attention going over to Emma (yes, he also remembers her name from the credit card, sue him), until she says, “So, then I realized that I should just pierce my lip and dye my hair.”

Well, _that_ got his attention. His eyes quickly look back at her and see that she’s smirking at him.

“What’s got your attention?” she asks.

He quickly looks down at his coffee cup. “Nothing.”

“Killian,” she warns.

“Belle, trust me. It’s nothing. Just…forget it.”

She huffs. “I can’t forget something when I don’t even know what that ‘something’ is!” She turns around to see what’s got his attention, but Emma’s not there and he takes a sigh of relief.

She turns back. “I’m going to figure it out.”

He nods. “You do that. I’m going to go to the bathroom.”

When he comes out, he bumps into someone and without thinking about it, grabs onto their arms to steady them.

Oh. It’s Emma.

“Oh,” she says when she looks at his face. “It’s you.”

And the fact that she kind of, might actually remember him makes his face feel ten degrees warmer and his heart pound a little harder.

“It’s you,” he sighs as he drops his hands.

(Hopefully he didn’t sigh, but he’s pretty sure he did. God damn, if he could smack himself right now, he would).

He clears his throat before commenting, “I see you must have gotten home safely.”

She raises an eyebrow. “You do realize that I don’t live in this café.”

He blushes even harder and looks down. “Right. Of course.”

She laughs. “It’s nice to know that you care, though. Don’t see that in too many bartenders.”

He looks back up at her. God, she’s pretty. “Really?”

She shrugs but gives a small smile. “Don’t know, really. I don’t usually see the bartender the next day.”

He chuckles before rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess…Yeah, I guess you wouldn’t.”

“I know that you know my name from the credit card, but I don’t think I caught your name.”

“Killian. Killian Jones.”

“Well, Killian, Killian, Jones,” she mocks and he laughs, “it’s was nice seeing you again.”

“You as well.”

She smiles as she walks around him to get to the exit.

Killian sits down, a smile on his face refusing to go away, and Belle sits back with her arms crossed and her bottom lip jutting out a little.

“What?”

She shakes her head, but says nothing.

When they come back the next week, Emma arrives after they do, but gets the same table. Killian is once again distracted, but this time Belle watches as a young blonde woman walks past them, and Killian’s eyes won’t stop watching her.

Belle gets an idea.

Killian gets a phone number.

(It happened when she came back to bar that following Friday. He kept smiling at her and she kept grinning at him and when she signed the receipt, there was a napkin with her number on it. He messages her the next day, because as much as he didn’t want to seem overly excited, damn it, he was.)

They message each other constantly, and twice she’s called him and they’ve spoken on the phone for hours (one time he went to work with only 3 hours of sleep in him. He was dead on his feet the entire time, a headache forming in the back of his eyes, but he wouldn’t trade one minute of it.)

He daydreams about kissing her. Kissing her on his couch. Kissing her on the bar. Kissing her in car.

(Honestly, his dreams are way worse. And by that, he means they are way better).

If he didn’t know himself better, he’d think he was half in love with her already. But he can’t ask her out. Because she’s been burnt in the past, and she doesn’t trust easily, and he knows that and understands that and respects that. So he’s going to bid his time, make sure she understands that he’s not going anywhere. That she can trust him. Rely on him. But that kind of thing takes time, and you know what? For her, he’s got all the time in the world.

Belle, however, has other ideas.

“Just one more blind date,” she tells him.

He can’t even think of looking at another woman, let alone go on a date with one. He only wants to go out with Emma. No one else.

Elsa agrees with Belle.

“One more date, Killian. If this one doesn’t work out, I’ll drop the entire thing.”

Belle, more or less, says the same thing.

Killian _really_ doesn’t want to. But they persist. Both of them. At one point, they both came into his bar right before his shift to convince him why he needs to keep dating.

“ _I don’t want to date!_ ” he wants to shout at them. But then they would ask him why, and he doesn’t want to talk about Emma, and why he can’t date her. Her past is her past, and that is her business. The fact that she told him this much information about herself is already mind-blowing to him. But it’s not his story to tell, so he won’t.

But they won’t shut up about it.

Belle insists. Elsa insists. They actually get his brother in on it too.

He relents. Again, if nothing else than to shut them up.

Belle tells him the girl’s name is Jane Fairfax, and that name sounds somewhat familiar, but he can’t place from where. Maybe she’s mentioned her to Killian before?

Anyway, to say that Killian is not looking forward to this date would be like saying that root canal work is fun. Unfortunately for him, he’s the only one that feels that way. But he’ll go on this date and then he’ll come back to his apartment and message Emma until he literally falls asleep with the phone in his hand (has happened more times that he cares to admit at this point).

Elsa sets it up at Tony’s, which seems a bit extreme for a first date—not to mention a _blind_ first date—but Killian just wants to meet this Jane, eat his food, and get the hell out that he doesn’t care where they are right now.

His date is not there yet, so he goes over to the bar and sits down. He orders a rum straight up because it’s going to be a long night.

“Is this seat taken?”

That voice almost shatters him, because it can’t be…

It just can’t.

It is.

“Emma?” he asks, his eyes wide, slowly getting up from the bar stool (okay, more like sliding down the bar stool), his arms out to make sure she’s really there.

“Hi,” she smirks.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to meet a Frank Churchill. Name sound familiar?”

And it does. It really does. And he wants to smack himself in the forehead for not picking up on it earlier. Jane Fairfax. Frank Churchill. Those are characters from…

“Emma,” he laughs.

She chuckles too. “Yeah. You’re friend, Belle? Yeah, she contacted me.”

“How?”

“She got me when I was leaving the café one day. You left earlier and she…” Emma looked down, almost embarrassed, and he’s never seen her embarrassed before he wants to hug her so badly. “She told that you want to date me, but you’re too shy.” She looks up and seems unsure. “Is that true?”

His mouth is so dry. His palms are soaked. He nods.

She smiles and shakes her head. “Why didn’t you just ask? I would have said yes.”

“I was worried,” he manages to get out. “I know…about your past, and I just…I wanted to make sure you could trust me.”

She puts her hands on his arms and he can feel it. _Sparks_. “I do trust you, Killian. I thought you figured that out a while ago.”

He looks down and gives a small chuckle. “I did not.”

She shakes her head as her hands go up his arms to go around his neck. “When Belle approached me, she said that we were going to play a small game on you. She was wondering if you’d figure out who Jane Fairfax is.”

“I didn’t.”

She smiled. “I got that.”

“But I do know who Emma is,” he said leaning closer to her.

She let out a light chuckle that he could feel on his lips and chin. “Really now.”

He mutters, “I much prefer you.”

Her lips are on his after she says, “Thank God.”

~*~*~

Killian releases Elsa from their hug and she turns to her new sister-in-law and gives her a huge hug.

“I’m so glad that you two found each other.”

Killian watches as Mulan goes over to Belle from across the room and places a small kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek before handing her a glass of wine.

He looked down at his wife (his _wife_ ) and smiled.

“Me too.”


End file.
